Former Augusta State Undergrad Earns Masters Degree at Augusta National

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters Champion, may have been born in San Antonio, Texas, and later may have learned his three “r’s” (reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

When it came time to learn how to read the greens on the golf course, however, Reed chose to play as an undergraduate at Augusta State University* in Georgia, where he led his team to NCAA championships in 2010 and 2011. Last weekend, “Captain America” earned a “Masters Degree” on the nearby Augusta National golf course as he read the greens perfectly, which put him on the iconic Masters’ scoreboard in “red” with his winning 15-under par score.

As the fiery leader of recent U.S. Ryder and Presidents Cup efforts, Reed earned the ‘Captain America’ when he defeated Rory McIlroy, 1 up, at the Ryder Cup competition at Hazeltine in 2016, in what has been called one of the best singles matches in that tournament’s history. Reed, who has been known to blow his own horn (e.g., in 2014: “I’m one of the top five players in the world”) , may now be considered vindicated with his green jacket victory to go with his international competition achievements.

The only question remaining now is what type of reed woodwind does he use when he spouts off: saxophone, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, bagpipe?